TR - Feedback Friday 10/26 : FPS / MMORPG / RTS Discussion

http://www.playtr.com/community/community_news/feedback_friday_1026.html

Paul Sage - Lead Developer

The end of beta, and the beginning of a live service. I’ve been here before, but not in the same way. Every game has a personality of its own, which is part of the team that made it, and it is also part of the community that plays it. Whether as a player or a developer, I don’t think any game I have been deeply involved in held my interest in quite the same way as Tabula Rasa. So with that, I am going to have some fun by telling you some of my favorite parts of the game, and then offering some well earned thanks.

What’s my favorite class? Exobiologist. I am sure it would be more politic of me to say I don’t have a favorite, but that’s not true. Some are going to point to a class they like and say “See, I told you they didn’t like *insert class here.*” All classes are going to end up being loved on by us, don’t worry. I just like the fun of peeling the armor of something off with lightning, using my injector gun, and then using the corpse of that opponent to blow the hell out of everything around it. There is also delight in seeing my adrenaline bar full when I am an exobiologist.

What’s my favorite place? I have always been a sucker for Plateau. There are a lot of nooks and crannies in Plateau that are just fun for me. It is chaotic when I want it to be, and calm when I need it. It’s a good mix for me.

What’s my favorite creature? The repair bot from Arieki. They are just fantastic. I don’t even like to talk about them, because if you haven’t faced them, I don’t want to spoil the surprise.

What’s my favorite thing very few people know about Tabula Rasa? The main story divides depending on how you play.

What’s my favorite moment in the game? It came pretty early on. I was fighting some Bane in Divide, getting attacked from two sides. I killed a shield drone on one side, and turned to kill some Thrax soldiers who were hitting me harder than the rest of the shield drone’s contingent. When I turned back the shield drone had respawned. I was a little frustrated because we had just gone through and added longer timers to our spawns. So I killed the new shield drone and made a mental note of the spot with the fast respawn rate. I killed some more soldiers, and there was another shield drone again. It wasn’t just a fast spawner, it was darn near instant. Worse, I couldn’t find the corpse of the old shield drone. Two bugs. Fast decay corpses, and fast respawn. Damn. We worked so hard… It was then that I noticed the technician. He repaired the shield drone. That was fantastic to see that bit of AI working for the first time in a completely unexpected place.

Those are just a few of my favorite things about the game. With that, I would like to give a couple of thanks to some different groups. If I don’t mention anyone by name, it isn’t out of lack of love, but out of lack of space.

I’d like to start off by thanking the man, Richard Garriott. He gave me a chance when I think even he worried about this “console junkie” becoming a designer, eventually a lead designer, on his deep new project. He also even let me win some of our famous debates, and for that he showed class you’ll get from very few people who have such a respected and established career in the industry. If you haven’t met Richard Garriott, you might not understand the word “class.” He has that, and not very many people do. I’ve learned a lot from you.

Starr Long and I should be incredibly different, and yet many of our sensibilities about games are the same. Starr’s the guy you invite to your party because he just exudes cool. He’s the guy you want on your side, and he has sure been on mine when life was turned upside down. Thanks for believing in me and being the glue for the team.

Thanks to Victor Meinert and John Mueller, and all of the amazing artists on the game. You guys really pulled off a beautiful game that is easily recognizable and runs well. Creating good looking art is one thing. Creating good looking art in a game that needs a lot of moving things to give a warlike atmosphere is something else.

Speaking of a lot of demands, thanks go to Matt Walker and his group of programmers. I know we change a lot of things on you guys, but you have been flexible and accommodating, and you have had a hard job, especially when the tasks aren’t certain. You guys amaze me with your ability to implement what we ask for.

Dane Caruthers and Cody Russell, thanks go to your QA crew as well. We really appreciate you guys getting into the game and telling us when the baby was ugly.

April Burba, you are an amazing find for NC Soft. Your dedication is without peer and you are way more than an OCR person. Thanks for building a great community for TR and filling in every little gap on the team.

Mike Moore, Christofer Strasz, Susan Kath, James Parkman and all of the designers. You are where the game gets realized, and you’ve done great work and given up a lot of your personal life to do it. You are an amazing team that has done an excellent job. I’m proud that I get to work with such fantastic people, and even more proud that I got to play the game you guys helped create.

Finally, if you made it this far, I want to thank every beta player out there: the grumpy ones, the indifferent ones, and the blissfully playing ones. Seriously, we make games so people will have fun. One of my biggest thrills is watching someone have a good time in the game. I love it when people taunt the Bane and cheer when they take over a control point. I very actively listen in general chat, read the boards, and listen to what you are saying, even when you think I’m not. Beta testing isn’t like playing a game. Yes, you get a sneak peek, but sometimes you also get to stand on a carpet and have it ripped out from under you. I understand that can be frustrating. So for that, let me again say “thank you.”

So with that, I’ll say have a good weekend outside or whatever you are going to do this weekend when you aren’t playing TR. If you are going to be in the Beta Event, I hope to slaughter you. ï